Scent of a New Wind
by Vulpixi Misa
Summary: ..Comashipping.. The two rivals meet again in the Isshu region. A battle and a lot of talking.


**Updated in February 29, 2012.**

Disclaimers and what not, nothing belongs to me. Blah blah blah. Japanese names will be used but there is a reason for that, so here is a translated list of things that readers might need for referencing.

**People:** Satoshi – Ash; Shinji – Paul; Iris – Iris; Dent – Cilan; Shooti – Trip; Reiji – Reggie; Jindai – Brandon; Shigeru – Gary; Masamune - Morrison

**Pokemon**: Agirudaa – Accelgor; Donkarasu – Honchkrow; Kibago - Axew ; Naetoru – Turtwig, Fushide – Venipede; Yoteri – Lillipup; Mukkuru – Starly; Janovy – Servine; Dodaitos – Torterra; Buburn - Magmortar

**Places**: Shinou – Sinnoh; Isshu – Unova; Masara – Pallet; Tobari – Veilstone; Kissaki – Snowpoint; Suzuran Conference - Lily of the Valley Conference; Kanoko - Nuvema; Hodomoe - Driftveil

For future readers, this was written and posted when episode 39/40 of Best Wishes came out. Any inaccuracies of Satoshi's team are merely assumptions of the author. Yup.

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><p>Satoshi had been feeling pretty good about himself after obtaining his fifth gym badge in the Isshu region. He had already caught at least 10 pokemon native to this region and it made him feel that the goal of being a Pokemon Master was actually possible. Not that he thought it was impossible before but after battling four different regions' leagues and never coming out on top of any of them; it could be a bit disheartening. Of course, he had been moving up the ranks with each passing region, maybe Isshu would be the one where he would be placed number one. And after that, challenging the Elite Four or the Champion would bring him even closer to the title of Pokemon Master.<p>

Dent and Iris were great travel companions and helped him along the way. With the two's vastly different personalities, he was able to get good battle tips from their different perspectives. Satoshi had been doing very well against other trainers, though with the occasional loss or draw against Shooti. But he wasn't angry at his rival or mad at himself either. After all, losing was part of the learning process.

The group had arrived in a large city that was made famous for things other than pokemon gyms. Dent had a great interest in the famous kitchens and restaurants found there and asked if they could make a small detour in their journey. Satoshi found nothing wrong with it, as he could never say no to food. They had found themselves at the center of the city where a park was established for the residents' pleasure. Many pokemon trainers also found it a great place to meet other trainers for battles and strategy swapping.

"Agirudaa, use Agility once more!"

"Donkarasu use Sky Attack."

The Big Boss pokemon was able to catch up to the Shell Out pokemon and ram straight into it, even with Agirudaa's increased speed. The crowd that surrounded the two trainers wowed in unison as the ninja Bug pokemon fell to the ground defeated. As the mass dispersed, Satoshi was able to see Agirudaa's owner reclaim his pokemon and congratulate the victor. What surprised the Masara trainer was that he knew Donkarasu's trainer. Even as unexpected as it was to see him here, Satoshi was not anxious at all.

"Shinji!"

His long time rival in the Shinou region looked up at the call of his name. He knew the voice sounded familiar and when he finally spotted the red hat and messy black hair, Shinji couldn't help but quirk his lip upward. He gave a final nod at Agirudaa's trainer before turning over to his ex-rival.

"Satoshi."

And that was enough to stop the Masara trainer in his tracks. He didn't know what came over him but the sound of his name passing the lips of his old rival made his heart skip a beat. He must have looked pretty shaken up because Shinji noticed the sudden change in his manner.

"Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, nothing is wrong." Satoshi blushed. How strange. That had never happened to him before. "It's just that… this is the first time you called me by my name."

Shinji raised an eyebrow. Was it that odd that he addressed Satoshi by his name? They did part ways in Shinou on good terms after all, it shouldn't be that peculiar.

"It's nothing. Just that I've never heard you say my name before. It used to always be 'you' or 'that guy' or something. I guess it just made me kind of happy." Satoshi grinned.

At that, Shinji shook his head and chuckled. "I can see you haven't changed much. You're still like a child."

"That's what I tell him all the time!"

The unfamiliar female voice brought Shinji's attention to two new characters that made their way next to Satoshi. The girl who spoke had huge puffy hair that kind of reminded Shinji of his own Donkarasu. She was dressed in pink and yellow, which contrasted well with her dark skin. The other companion looked like a waiter, dressed in a formal vest and dress pants. His green hair and eyes made Shinji think of a Naetoru, for some reason.

"Oh, Shinji, these are my new friends. Iris is a Dragon Trainer from the Dragon Village. And this is Dent, one of the gym leaders from Sanyou City. He's a Pokemon Sommelier."

"Hi!" The girl chirped.

Shinji blinked when he saw a pokemon pop out of the girl's hair and wave at him. Iris introduced her friend Kibago, who then dived back into her thick locks afterwards.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The Sommelier bowed to him as if he was an important guest in a fancy restaurant. Shinji nodded his head in regards to the teen.

"And guys, this is Shinji. He's a friend from the Shinou region."

The Tobari trainer expressed amusement at Satoshi's choice in words to describe him. Friend? Had Satoshi forgotten the whole journey spent being tormented by him? Not that Shinji wasn't glad that Satoshi thought of him as a friend but one cannot simply disregard the history they shared and just leave it at that.

"We were rivals back then." Shinji muttered.

"Oh! What a unique flavor! Rivals in the past, friends in the present, what of the future? Mmm…"

Shinji didn't say anything about Dent's inspirational outburst. He looked at the capped boy skeptically and Satoshi could only shrug and laugh. Iris shook her head and mumbled something about her Sommelier friend. Pikachu just sat on his trainer's shoulder and looked between him and his Shinou rival. He smiled a knowing smile and just hoped for the best.

Dent then seemed to remember something and pointed at a pamphlet that had just been handed to him not too long ago. He really wanted to look at the display sale that was happening at Fushide Platter, a kitchenware store located somewhere else in the city. Satoshi wavered a little at the sparkly Yoteri eyes that Dent was giving him.

"You guys can go ahead if you want. I was hoping I could stay and catch up with Shinji."

"Thank you Satoshi! I'll see you later at the Pokemon Center!" Dent ran off almost immediately with Iris tailing behind yelling for him to slow down.

That just left the two trainers (and Pikachu) alone in the middle of the Central Park. There were other battles going on in the mean time but Satoshi decided to sit with his rival. They chose a bench located under a tree where they could get a good view of several battles and other citizens going about their own way.

"So what are you doing here anyway Shinji?" Satoshi started. "Are you competing in the Isshu League as well?"

"No, I'm just running an errand for Brother."

"Reiji-san? How is he doing anyway?"

"He's fine." Shinji paused. "Him and that gym leader have been spending a lot of time together raising the pokemon. I think he's gotten stronger but it doesn't matter since he's not battling anymore anyway."

"Ah, that's good." Satoshi nodded. Reiji was a pretty strong trainer but if Pokemon Breeding was what he felt happier doing, then it was all good.

"He also asked about you from time to time."

"Eh, why is that?" He cocked his head to the side while asking.

Shinji looked away for a moment and Satoshi thought he might have been embarrassed about something. But then again, this was Shinji; he didn't really show too many of those emotions out in the open.

"He asked me why I didn't follow you to another region, but I think he was just being stupid."

Shinji didn't like that idea that Reiji might have implied that he wanted to go after Satoshi. Or maybe he was angry that Reiji might have been right about him following Satoshi. Either way, Satoshi didn't understand the fury Shinji had towards his own brother's words.

"Then why didn't you?" Satoshi asked. "I mean, the Isshu region is pretty cool with all the new pokemon and gyms. You should totally look into it."

"I would but I'm working on the Battle Frontier in Kanto right now."

"Oh right! Did you ever battle Jindai-san at Kissaki City?" Satoshi asked, remember the other's goal before they parted ways at Shinou.

"Well, that's the thing. He wasn't at Kissaki when I went back there. If I really wanted to challenge him, I suppose collecting the frontier symbols is the only way to do it." Shinji pulled out a case and showed the other his three symbols. "I was in the middle of that when Brother called me."

"So what kind of errand did Reiji-san ask of you anyway?"

"He wanted me to find a scale of some sort that could only be found here. It had to do with the evolution of a certain type of pokemon but he didn't tell me much of the details. He just sent me here to look for it and bring it back to Shinou." Of course, his brother had also told him that there was a possibility of Satoshi travelling in Isshu, which was one of the main reasons why Shinji even agreed to going on the errand. But Satoshi definitely didn't need to know that.

"So do you know where to look for the scale?"

Shinji sighed. He wanted to say yes but honestly he had no clue. He figured since it was a scale, it would be located near a beach but if that was the case, what was he doing in the middle of the city? The closest beach was located on the other end of the Isshu region. Or maybe he really wasn't even looking for the scale at all, said a voice in the back of his head.

Satoshi took the sigh as a "no" to his question. He wasn't sure why, but the answer made him a little giddy. If it meant that Shinji would take longer in his quest, he would be in the Isshu region longer. That also hinted at the possibility of Satoshi running into him more often. He had not realized it until he met up with him again, but Satoshi missed having Shinji around.

"Hey, let's have a battle!" The raven haired one jumped up from the bench, full of energy. Pikachu leapt from his seat next to Satoshi and chirped excitedly.

"Now?"

"Come on Shinji, you promised me! Don't tell me you forgot!"

"Of course, I didn't forget." Shinji smirked. How could he forget? The memory of Satoshi calling him from the top of the steps was something he would never be able to forget. The kid always found a way to surprise him, and when Satoshi had challenged him to a future battle, Shinji was glad he met him back in Route 201 where he was catching Mukkuru. The Masara trainer had changed him, Shinji admit and frankly, he didn't mind.

"Come on! I want to show you some of my new pokemon!" Satoshi took the Tobari trainer by the arm and dragged him to an empty grass spot perfect for battling.

"Janovy! I choose you!"

Satoshi had released a long snake like pokemon. Shinji didn't have an upgraded Pokedex but from the patterns, he could only assume it was a grass type. He debated on sending out his Buburn but decided against it and sent out Dodaitos instead. It wasn't like he was going easy on his opponent; he knew better than that. Shinji figured that Satoshi had started a whole new team made of pokemon native to this region, as he had done so in Shinou. A Grass type versus Grass type was also a challenge in itself but against Satoshi, types didn't always apply.

"So how about one on one for now?" Satoshi suggested.

"Sounds good." Shinji nodded.

"Okay then, Janovy start off with Attract!"

The Grass Snake pokemon formed a heart and blew a kiss at big grass dinosaur. Being the heavy Continent pokemon that he was, Dodaitos could not avoid the attack and was instantly charmed by Janovy. Shinji looked a little uncomfortable at the sight of his best pokemon under the spell of a female. He also never identified Satoshi as one to use such a tactic.

"Dodaitos, snap out of it! Try using Stone Edge!"

But it was no use because Dodaitos was still infatuated with Satoshi's Janovy.

"Okay, here's our chance, Janovy use Calm Mind and then Leaf Storm!"

Satoshi's pokemon seemed to stand and meditate for her Special Attack and Defense to rise. She then swirled her tail into a cyclone and released a barrage of sharp leaves at the immobilized dinosaur tortoise. Shinji gritted his teeth as Dodaitos took a direct hit from the Leaf Storm. It normally shouldn't hurt him too much but with Janovy's raised Special Attack, Dodaitos probably took more damage than Shinji would have liked. But thanks to the strong blow, his pokemon was able to snap out of the Attract.

"Dodaitos, try Stone Edge again!"

The Continent Pokemon roared as a circle of sharp stones swirled around him and then directed them towards Janovy.

"Quick Janovy, use Leaf Blade on the stones!"

"Perfect. Dodaitos, use Frenzy Plant!"

While Janovy was preoccupied with the Stone Edge, Dodaitos was able to summon a bunch of spikey tree roots to slam into his opponent. The Grass Snake pokemon was unable to dodge the roots and she took the hits, sending Janovy to the ground when they receded.

"Janovy! Can you stand? Quick, Dodaitos is unable to move now from Frenzy Plant, let's move in and give 'em a Leaf Blade!"

Janovy nodded and zoomed in towards the immobile pokemon. She jumped and swirled around as the leaves on her tail glowed a bright green and turned razor sharp. She was able to land a smashing hit on the head of the giant Dodaitos but at that moment, he had recovered from his Frenzy Plant.

"Use Leaf Storm!" Shinji commanded, seizing the perfect opportunity.

"Janovy, get out of there!"

Janovy's tried to jump away from the large pokemon but the Leaf Storm was too harsh and it blew her away from her opponent where she landed close to her trainer. From her first Calm Mind, she didn't take as much damage as she normally would, but since she was so close to the attack, Leaf Storm did hit pretty hard.

Dodaitos looked just as weary as Janovy but they could tell that the other still had a lot of fight left in them.

Satoshi had a huge smile plastered on his face. Just battling with his old rival made him remember why he tried so hard to chase him back in Shinou. Shinji was a strong and worthy opponent and he couldn't have asked for a better rematch.

Shinji was thinking along the same thoughts. Even though Satoshi's pokemon was relatively new compared to his Dodaitos, it was quite strong, proving Satoshi's performance as a competent trainer. But Satoshi had long proven his worth to Shinji. Even before the final battle at the Suzuran Conference, Shinji could tell Satoshi had potential that he (Satoshi) wasn't showing him.

"Janovy, let's try Attract one more time!"

"Dodaitos don't let it! Use Stone Edge!"

This time, the hearts never reached Dodaitos, and Janovy was left to dodge the flurry of sharp rocks. Janovy was quick enough to dodge most of them but at the end, one rock was able to land a critical hit on her shoulder, throwing her back even farther.

"Janovy! Can you get up? Let's end this with Leaf Storm!"

"Dodaitos, use Leaf Storm as well!"

The two grass types conjured the biggest whirlwind of leaves they could and at their trainer's commands, sent it spiraling at the opposing pokemon. The force of the two attacks connecting sent a pack of sand and dust flying out of the battle field, temporarily blinding the two trainers. When the debris cleared, the victor of the match was easily decided.

"It's a draw." Shinji stated, returning Dodaitos to his pokeball.

"Looks like it." Satoshi smiled, thanking Janovy for a great match and then returning her to her respective ball.

Satoshi walked up to Shinji and held out his hand. The other looked down at it in question. The smile on the raven haired boy's face was contagious though and Shinji couldn't help but smile as well. He took the other trainer's hand in a firm handshake.

"I've always wanted to do that." Satoshi confessed after they released hands. "Shake hands with you, that is."

The Tobari trainer raised an eyebrow again. Satoshi was still looking at his gloved hand, enraptured by the thought that it held Shinji's moments ago. From the beginning, Satoshi believed Shinji was untouchable. Not in the physical sense, but in the sense that he was on a whole different level from him. It seemed that way after Satoshi lost to him time and time again. But being able to shake hands with him made him feel that Satoshi was Shinji's equal.

The two made their way back to the bench where Pikachu had been watching their match. He congratulated his trainer and sat himself on Satoshi's lap. Satoshi gently rubbed the electric rodent's head.

"I was going to ask you if you thought I got any stronger." Satoshi started. "But I think I know what you're going to say." He looked over at his companion but Shinji didn't have anything to say. "I haven't changed my tactics because they work for me and my pokemon. We've been working together since the beginning and we'll continue to grow strong together."

"You do what you like." Shinji muttered.

Satoshi nodded. "We've also met a lot of strong trainers here at Isshu as well. None of them were like you though Shinji."

Shinji met Satoshi's gaze and they were quiet for the longest time. Pikachu moved from his spot on his trainer's lap and cooed quietly by the two's feet, hoping something would happen soon.

"Is that so?" Shinji finally answered when he could no longer hold his stare with those soft brown eyes. He never noticed how brilliant Satoshi's eyes were, but he guessed because he never took the time to look.

"I met a trainer early in Kanoko Town. At first he reminded me of you a little, but then I realized he was his own person and you were Shinji."

"How?"

"Huh?" Satoshi blinked.

"How did he remind you of me?"

The raven haired trainer puckered his lips and put a finger to his chin, as if he was thinking intensely. He then chuckled nervously.

"Don't laugh at me when I say that but… When I first met Shooti, he was so cold to me! I kind of thought it was like déjà vu since you would always ignore me when I called out to you, so, I guess that's how I thought you two were similar."

Shinji rolled his eyes but one could tell he was quite amused by Satoshi's story. He had to admit that he found Satoshi quite an annoyance for the majority of the journey in Shinou when he was always lecturing him about the "proper" way to raise pokemon. The only times he didn't find the other annoying was when they battled because that was probably the only time Satoshi seemed serious. He actually hadn't engaged the other in much conversation, Shinji realized. He supposed he was making up for it now and he had to say that it wasn't too bad. Shinji wasn't one for small talk, but Satoshi probably figured that and didn't force the other to speak when he didn't have to.

"But I met with him more and he was not like you at all, though the two of you have some fascination with Pikachu or something."

Pikachu perked up at the mention of his name. "Pika?" Satoshi just laughed and shook his head.

"…Is he your rival now?" Shinji asked curiously.

"I suppose? I don't know. He likes making me feel like a loser just because I come from the Kanto region. I don't think all Isshu people are like that but it makes me a little angry."

"He better not be beating you in battle."

"Uh…" Satoshi scratched his cheek nervously. "Well, I guess that's why he also kind of reminds me of you…"

Shinji just rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to call the other "useless". He probably should have been over that stage but sometimes he wondered how Satoshi was able to beat him. A part of him was angry that some other trainer was beating his ex-rival but he really didn't have a reason to feel that way. It wasn't like Satoshi was his responsibility or anything.

"But I guess that's why you and Shooti are there. Shigeru and Masamune too. If I don't have a rival, how else am I supposed to get to the top? They not only challenge you but in it way, it's kind of like we're learning and getting stronger together. "

"…You're so naïve." Shinji thought out loud.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Satoshi pouted. He knew Shinji wasn't being rude, but Satoshi couldn't help being who he was.

"…Satoshi?"

Hearing his name through Shinji's voice made the boy's heart jump again. He could feel his face warm up and what could only be described as "the fuzzies" made his way across his chest.

"What is it?" Satoshi was beaming. He slightly bumped shoulders with the other in his fit of glee, hoping it would catch.

"You're awfully happy." Shinji mumbled, trying to distract himself from what he originally wanted to say.

"Nothing. You just said my name again." The boy giggled.

"…It doesn't take much to please you, does it?" The gaiety was indeed spreading and Shinji genuinely smiled.

"That was a lot, trust me." They knocked shoulders again but this time, Satoshi left it there so he was actually leaning on Shinji. "What were you going to say again?"

"…"

The Tobari trainer struggled to actually voice his feelings seeing as it was Satoshi of all people he was confiding in. But then again, it was Satoshi, who was so open with his own feelings that it made confessions seem like the easiest thing in the world. Or it just made things multiple times worse since Satoshi was the reason for his apprehension.

"I… I'm glad we were able to meet up again." There, he had said it. Now if only his mind would stop racing and his heart would slow down.

"Me too." Satoshi sighed. Befriending Shinji had been no easy task, especially with their whole rivalry in the way, but in the end, it was all worth it.

"Pika…"

"Oh! What's up pal?" Satoshi sweated a little, almost forgetting his best friend was there.

Pikachu picked himself from the ground and landed on Satoshi's lap. The pokemon rubbed his own yellow belly as a sign that anyone can interpret as hunger. At that moment, Satoshi's stomach growled too. The trainer blushed, totally forgetting that he has yet to eat lunch and sun was just beginning to set.

"Ah… Guess we should head back to the Pokemon Center to get some food, huh?" He asked Pikachu, who nodded.

"Shinji, are you staying at the Pokemon Center too?"

To his disappointment, the Tobari trainer shook his head.

"I actually didn't intend to stay in this city for long. I was hoping to make it to Hodomoe City by the end of today but I got delayed." He glanced at Satoshi. "But it's not all that bad. I suppose I could stay for the night."

"Great!" Satoshi grinned. "After we get food, we can have another battle, this time, with our whole team!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement and leapt to his spot on Satoshi's shoulder.

The Masara trainer took Shinji's arm again and eagerly made for the direction of the Pokemon Center he was supposed to meet with Iris and Dent. Shinji didn't say anything as Satoshi continued to babble on about his adventures in the Isshu region. He just nodded and held onto the feeling of the other clinging onto his arm while they walked.

In the Shinou region, a certain Pokemon breeder of Tobari City sat by the video phone at home. He lightly twiddled with the bluish/pinkish scale in his fingers wondering if his brother had found what he had sent him to the Isshu region for.

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><p>Well, that worked out pretty well for something I planned on the spot the night before. I think I did the most research on this fic than I have for any other fic. But that's because I don't know a lot of the IsshuUnova region. I'm lame and I haven't played BW yet. Durp. **(Edit: Played the game. Wow, my geography is so off.)** Sorry for dumping Iris and Dent like that. I knew the story was going to take place in Best Wishes but you know that no good shippy moments happen when others are around. …Minus Pikachu, who I almost forgot was there in the first place but my giant Pika plush has been staring at me for a while, so that's how I remembered.

Sorry for a lot of talking and boring things. I don't remember why I initially wrote the fic but I just really wanted Satoshi and Shinji to meet again. That, and I wanted to hear Shinji call Satoshi by his name. Which is why I had to use the Japanese names in the first place because Paul had call Ash by his name many times that it doesn't really matter. I just hope their thoughts didn't seem jumbled up or move around a lot, because my train of thought was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

So, yeah. …Wow, it seems the only time I can write Pokemon fics is when the season is done. Hm.


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